Posted at 6:23 a.m., Monday, August 27, 2007
NFL: Patriots cornerback Samuel ends holdout
Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel ended his holdout today, returning to the team after missing the first three preseason games.Samuel was taking a physical Monday, coach Bill Belichick said.
It was not immediately clear whether he would practice with the team later in the day, and Belichick declined to comment on whether Samuel would play in the Patriots' preseason finale Thursday against the visiting New York Giants.
"It's always good to have all your players available," Belichick said.
The Patriots made Samuel their franchise player after he tied Denver's Champ Bailey for the NFL regular-season lead with 10 interceptions last season. But Samuel refused to accept the tender offer of $7.79 million for this season, skipped the team's mandatory minicamp last month and missed most of training camp.
The Patriots drafted Samuel in the fourth round out of Central Florida in 2003.
